Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nf6/3. d4

Modern attack C43 Russian game 3. d4 · Modern attack or Steinitz attack The chief sideline to 3. Nxe5, with 3. d4 White seeks to open the centre immediately and offers Black their choice of pawns to capture. 3...exd4!? is playable but less conventional as it allows 4. e5! to kick the knight. Typically this leads to trading both d- and e-pawns and opening the centre fully: the main continuation is 4...Ne4 5. Qxd4 (the Centre attack) d5 (defends knight) 6. exd6 e.p. Nxd6 7. Nc3, although there are some sidelines (5. Qe2 was advocated by Steinitz; 5. Bb4+ is the Tal gambit). 3...Nxe4 is the main line and leads to a trade of e-pawns. White could retake immediately (4. Nxe5 or 4. exd4) but the normal move order is 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5, where after ...d5 first Black doesn't have ...d6 to shoo the knight away. 3...d5, the Symmetrical variation, passes the decision on what to take first back to White. Since Black has played ...d5 of their own volition, White may choose 4. Nxe5 and the positions can transpose after 4...Nxe4 5. Bd3 (4...dxe4? 5. Bc4 [threatening Nxf7] Be6 6. Bxe6 fxe6 and Black has isolated double e-pawns++). 3...d6 transposes to the Nimzowitsch variation of the Philidor defence. History Jaenisch credited Petrov with 3. d4,Jaenisch's chess preceptor: a new analysis of the openings of games de Jaenisch C. F. Longman & co. 1847 London https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hn52dv&seq=5 Walker George (translation of Analyse nouvelle des ouvertures du jeu des échecs de Jaenisch C. F. Gartner 1842 126-147) who had perhaps the earliest games with it.Petrov v Allies, 1837 - Chessgames.com; Petrov v. Jaenisch, 1844 - Chessgames.com A later advocate of the line was Steinitz, who wrote in his 1889 book:Modern Chess Instructor Steintiz Wilhelm G. P. Putnam's Sons 1889 London 116-139 As regards its [2...Nf6] merits as a defence various authorities have expressed different opinions on the subject, but all agreed hitherto that 3 Kt×P [3. Nxe5] was White's best continuation though it was generally admitted that this line of attack only retained the advantage of the first move by proper play on the other side. We think however that the superior position at least can be proved for the first player by the attack 3 P—Q4 [3. d4] which has hitherto been almost ignored. Because of his endorsement, some opening books (e.g. Chess.com's opening explorer) give 3. d4 the appellation Steinitz attack instead. Others (e.g. Lichess.org's) reserve it for the continuation 3...exd4 4. e5 Ne4 5. Qe2, which Steinitz preferred to 5. Qxd4. 3. d4 particularly came into vogue in the 1990s, where it was adopted at the highest levels including by KasparovGarry Kasparov games in the Petrov, Modern Attack - Chessgames.com including Kasparov v. Karpov, 1990 - Chessgames.com and Ivanchuk.Vasyl Ivanchuck games in the Petrov, Modern Attack - Chessgames.com Theory table 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 3 ...exd4 = ...Nxe4 = ...d5 = References Petrov's Defence